Murder suspect hides in mountains for 10 years

WHEN Zimbabwe dollarised in 2009, entered the inclusive government and Zanu-PF won the 2013 elections Butinyana Dube (39) from Mangwe’s Nxele Village staid put in the mountains.

Since February 2008 the police have been looking for him in relation to the murder of two villagers.

B-Metro learnt about Dube when he appeared facing two counts of murder before Plumtree resident magistrate, Taurai Manwere on Monday.

He was remanded out of custody to 23 March and is on $100 bail granted by the High Court. This time around he won’t hide in the mountains.

In his warned and cautioned statement, Dube admitted to the murder charge and said he did not intend to kill the villagers.

“Yes, I admit to the charges levelled against me that of assaulting the now deceased leading to their death. I was part of four other villagers who assaulted the two men after we found them roasting maize suspected to have been stolen from Norman Sibanda’s field. I didn’t intend to commit the crime,” said Dube.

Prosecutor, Butholezwe Bhebhe told the court that on 25 February 2008 near Ramakgebane River in Nxele area in Mangwe, Dube teamed up with four other villagers who have already been convicted in this matter.

Their names and sentences were not mentioned in court.

The group went to their gardens near the river in search of suspected thieves who had been stealing maize cobs from their gardens situated on the river banks.

The court heard that the group bumped into two villagers, the late Benedict Ncube and Xolisani Sibanda respectively, roasting maize cobs on the dry river bed.

They accused the pair of stealing the maize from one of the villagers, Noman Sibanda’s field.

They assaulted them with switches and knobkerries indiscriminately all over their bodies. They left the pair unconscious.

However, the pair was picked up by other villagers and the matter was reported to the police.

The men were ferried to Plumtree district hospital where they died on admission.

Investigations by police led to the arrest of four villagers and when Dube heard the net was closing on him, he escaped to the mountains where he lived until his subsequent arrest.